An alternative slogan if you don't like that one: Someone has to win this crappy division(from alnorth)

With the beginning of a new year, it is time for the 2012 version of the Royals Repository Thread. We've got Hosmer, we've got a 2011-dominating Gordon, we've got Moose, we've got hopefully a killer bullpen, we've got a stereotypical slow slugging DH, we've got easily one of the best defensive shortstops in the AL, we've got a promising catcher in Salvador Perez. Hell, we've got offense and promising prospects galore.

We do not have starting pitching.

Oh yeah, we've also got this:

Get ready for, (as of January 2012 anyway), one of the most confusing puzzles of a baseball season in recent Royals history. Will they suck? Maybe, I don't know. Will we be given a year of 0.500 baseball? Possibly, I don't know. Will they win the division and go to the playoffs for the first time in 27 years? For the first time in a long time, it could happen, I don't know. 92 losses, 92 wins, or anything in between would not surprise a lot of us.

Everything goes here except Gameday threads and really big news. If a giant story breaks, the Royals achieve some awesome milestone, or we sign/lose a highly significant player/coach/mascot/whatever, then it might also deserve its own thread. This being Chiefs Planet, please do not clutter the board with new threads about trivial Royals news or you will only annoy those who come here for just Chiefs football. If you aren't sure and its not a Gameday thread, it goes here.

What sort of stuff often goes here? SPchief explained it well, so I'll just copy that:

Quote:

If you locate something of interest.. ANYTHING.. deals on apparel, best ways in/out of the stadium, giveaways, great stories from this season or from seasons gone by, rumors, trades, anything.... feel free to post it here.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The only way Luke Hochevar was getting a cheer Friday afternoon was if he hobbled off the pitcher's mound, which he did. A line drive hit him flush on the inside of his left ankle. The cacophony of ball meeting bone echoed well into the stands at Kauffman Stadium. "It dropped me like I got shot," Hochevar said, and so as he peeled himself off the ground and limped toward the dugout with assistance, the crowd turned Midwest polite and clapped.

Luke Hochevar gave up seven runs in the first inning, then took a line drive off his ankle in the fourth. (AP)Three innings earlier, more than 40,000 people aching for something out of the Kansas City Royals – even a .500 season, please – watched Hochevar play DUI checkpoint to their buzz. Over the first 32 pitches in the 2012 home opener, he allowed seven runs on eight hits. Sure, this city long ago grew accustomed to mound dregs. There was Jimmy Gobble's 10-run relief appearance and Brian Bannister's 10-run start, and nobody ever will forget Vin Mazzaro allowing 14 runs in one game last season. But this? In the home opener? God, this was so Royals.

Naturally, they booed. Only these were different boos, more legitimate anger than rote resignation. Because for the first time in a long time – since the strike maybe, or even longer, back to after the franchise's only championship in 1985 – there are actual expectations here, and they're not just from Pollyanna wearing rose-colored glasses while sipping on Kool-Aid in a fool's paradise. These Royals are supposed to be all right.

So for the Cleveland Indians to play batting practice after the Royals lost their last game with back-to-back hit-by-pitches, the first time that had happened in the major leagues in 46 years – that's more than 100,000 games – well, the anger was palpable. And even though the Royals ultimately bowed 8-3 – "It just got away from us quick," manager Ned Yost said, channeling Ron Burgundy after Brick killed a guy – it was fine because this was just one of 162.

More than anything was the feeling that pervaded the clubhouse that no longer is this a city content with losing. Emboldened by good management (GM Dayton Moore and lieutenants JJ Picollo, Dean Taylor, Mike Arbuckle and Lonnie Goldberg), great drafts, savvy contracts and an ownership group finally willing to support all of it, the Royals, against all bets, are one of the franchises doing it right.

And yet in this baseball landscape, where $200-million contracts are the new de rigueur and local TV rules the roost, the Royals are more impoverished relative to the leviathans than they've ever been. Which stands to create a messy outcome if expectations fail to match reality on account of the sport's economic puppeteering.

"We want to give them something," first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "We have the guys in here to do it. There's plenty of time left here. We can take this team where it needs to be."

Hosmer stood in front of his locker. Ten feet to his left, Mike Moustakas planted himself. And they talked, for five minutes, then 10, then longer. Hosmer is 22, Moustakas 23. They were taken in back-to-back drafts, ascended the minor leagues together, play across the diamond from each other and are positioned as two of the franchise's tentpoles. As they stood there, inside the youngest clubhouse in the major leagues by far, there was a sense from teammates and employees and onlookers that Kansas City, which loses these kinds of players, can savor them for a while, knowing it was their first home opener.

Mike Moustakas and the Royals' youngsters have dreams of winning championships. (Getty Images)On the street, they'll call out for Moose, and he'll acknowledge them because ignoring people doesn't play here, and "that's pretty freaking cool to me."

Hey now. The Royals' last winning record came in a fluky 2003 season, and since the strike they're 1,161-1,577, and damn, Moose, it's one thing to talk over .500 and another to maybe dream wild card, but championships and rings and ticker-tape parades and beating the Yankees and Red Sox and Phillies and everyone else who spends more on catering than the Royals do on payroll?

"It's not that bold," Moustakas said. "Why else are we here?"

He's right, you know. For so long, the Royals weren't about dreaming. Their talent curation in Latin America was dormant. They wouldn't spend more than $1,000 on signing bonuses for draft picks after the early rounds. They pocketed seven-figure profits. They developed players, then sold them in trades to the highest bidder. Their free agent spending made drunken sailors look like Warren Buffett. If not for the incompetence of the Pirates and Orioles, they'd have been baseball's Clippers.

Now look at them. During spring training, owner David Glass met with Moore and Yost. He told them he expected the Royals to go undefeated this season. They told him that wasn't possible.

"Well," Glass said, "come as close as you can."

The best they can do now is 158-4. The upper deck was half-empty by the end of the fourth loss Friday, enough people wanting to beat the traffic that really doesn't exist here, even at a packed ballpark. Those who stuck around watched the splendor of the fountains in center field, the ones that will be on display this summer at the All-Star Game, and they could take heart in knowing Hochevar fought back from that debacle of a first inning with three scoreless frames, and that Alex Gordon no longer seems to be slumping, and that even if they can't catch the Detroit Tigers, which they can't, maybe they'll crack .500, maybe they won't, but they shouldn't be embarrassing.

And for this city, its baseball soul blackened by the degradation of their treasure into a joke, that's as good a start as any.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

Sure-Oz could ****ing track anyone in the country via Twitter. Dude makes me scared to leave the house.

Only these were different boos, more legitimate anger than rote resignation. Because for the first time in a long time – since the strike maybe, or even longer, back to after the franchise's only championship in 1985 – there are actual expectations here, and they're not just from Pollyanna wearing rose-colored glasses while sipping on Kool-Aid in a fool's paradise. These Royals are supposed to be all right.

This makes me think that if this season turns into a disaster than Dayton might be gone.

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Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning:

Matt once made a very nice play in Seattle where he spun away from a pass rusher and hit Bowe off his back foot for a first down.

Those who stuck around watched the splendor of the fountains in center field, the ones that will be on display this summer at the All-Star Game, and they could take heart in knowing Hochevar fought back from that debacle of a first inning with three scoreless frames, and that Alex Gordon no longer seems to be slumping, and that even if they can't catch the Detroit Tigers, which they can't, maybe they'll crack .500, maybe they won't, but they shouldn't be embarrassing.

Doctors basically said the ball hit Luke in a perfect spot to not break anything (one inch lower, and at least a couple bones would have broken), but I can't imagine he'll be able to go next week at all.

Teaford threw 70 pitches in 4 scoreless innings, he was going to be our long guy anyway and he's pretty well stretched out now. I bet Teaford takes Hoch's spot until he comes back.

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<ptp> how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb?
<Willy> HOW MANY?!
<ptp> none they just sit in the dark and cry

Doctors basically said the ball hit Luke in a perfect spot to not break anything (one inch lower, and at least a couple bones would have broken), but I can't imagine he'll be able to go next week at all.

Teaford threw 70 pitches in 4 scoreless innings, he was going to be our long guy anyway and he's pretty well stretched out now. I bet Teaford takes Hoch's spot until he comes back.

Do you foresee any moves up/down with the Omaha team if Luke goes on the DL?

Do you foresee any moves up/down with the Omaha team if Luke goes on the DL?

Maybe. If they think Hoch will miss only one start they might stay with 24 because if Hoch goes on the 15 day DL, he's out 2 weeks even if this turns out to be a 1-week injury. (Similar to Cain, maybe they should have just waited, but I guess they liked Dyson. Good thing we brought him up instead of just using Maier, so that Dyson could miss that 1st-inning fly!)

If Hoch will be out 2 weeks anyway, then they wont just waste a perfectly good active spot and roll with 24. If Teaford starts while he's out, then probably a relief pitcher.

__________________
<ptp> how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb?
<Willy> HOW MANY?!
<ptp> none they just sit in the dark and cry

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The only way Luke Hochevar was getting a cheer Friday afternoon was if he hobbled off the pitcher's mound, which he did. A line drive hit him flush on the inside of his left ankle. The cacophony of ball meeting bone echoed well into the stands at Kauffman Stadium. "It dropped me like I got shot," Hochevar said, and so as he peeled himself off the ground and limped toward the dugout with assistance, the crowd turned Midwest polite and clapped.

...

As depressing as some might find this article, I love that Moustakas & Hosmer continue to say the right things, even after a couple frustrating losses. I guess time will tell if a bad season will wear on them, maybe they'll start getting a little annoyed publicly, but hopefully we won't have to worry about that.

And honestly, I think we'll be alright. Not "compete with Detroit" alright, but "we can do this" alright. Continued improvement from everyone on the roster (except that ****head Broxton) and maybe a couple prospects come up & help out, too.

I'm disappointed in the last few games, but still think this can be a fun year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnorth

Doctors basically said the ball hit Luke in a perfect spot to not break anything (one inch lower, and at least a couple bones would have broken), but I can't imagine he'll be able to go next week at all.

Teaford threw 70 pitches in 4 scoreless innings, he was going to be our long guy anyway and he's pretty well stretched out now. I bet Teaford takes Hoch's spot until he comes back.

Love me some Teaford. Don't necessarily want Hoch to be out for a long time, but I'd like to see ET get a few starts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

This makes me think that if this season turns into a disaster than Dayton might be gone.

I'm not the world's biggest DM fan, but I think it's a bit too early for this. If it's a disaster, people are just going to blame the youth (or injuries, but mainly youth). I think DM's a pretty decent GM, I just wonder about his love for guys like Yuni & his ability to win trades at the ML level (although the return on the Zack trade looks pretty nice from what I've seen).

I'm not the world's biggest DM fan, but I think it's a bit too early for this. If it's a disaster, people are just going to blame the youth (or injuries, but mainly youth). I think DM's a pretty decent GM, I just wonder about his love for guys like Yuni & his ability to win trades at the ML level (although the return on the Zack trade looks pretty nice from what I've seen).

Yep. For things to go horribly wrong (as in past 90 losses or almost 100 losses kind of horribly wrong) a lot of injuries would probably need to happen, and a couple young players would need to step back in a big way.

Worst case scenario for DM: after a bad 2012, his seat gets warm and we start to get some light chatter from a few fans that we need to fire the GM. After a bad 2013, all the baseball preview magazines might list his name as one of the GM's on a hot seat going into 2014.

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<ptp> how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb?
<Willy> HOW MANY?!
<ptp> none they just sit in the dark and cry

This is the problem with expectations, people are worrying about these long term issues after 7 games. It's really crazy. The team is 3-4. You'd think we were 1-6 the way some Royals fans are worrying.

This is the problem with expectations, people are worrying about these long term issues after 7 games. It's really crazy. The team is 3-4. You'd think we were 1-6 the way some Royals fans are worrying.

And a couple of those games we really should have won. We don't choke, we're 5-2. This won't keep happening, we're not going to lose every single close game we should win in hilarious 2000's-Royals fashion. It'll even out, and we're going to steal a few we shouldn't win.

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<ptp> how many emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb?
<Willy> HOW MANY?!
<ptp> none they just sit in the dark and cry